Dr. Jack Vivian

With over 45 years in public assembly and sport facility development and management, Dr. Jack Vivian has provided design, management, and operational advice to hundreds of owners, architects, and engineers worldwide. Additionally, his background in coaching and administration has provided JRV NexGoal Michigan LLC with a strong foundation.

Dr. Vivian is no stranger to sports. As the founder and first commissioner of the former Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), his legacy in hockey stretches in coaching, administration, and in facilities. After coaching football for three seasons, he became the club and varsity hockey coach at Bowling Green State University, posting a combined record of 112-62-10 across the two disciplines from 1967 to 1974. He served as the general manager of the Cleveland Crusader professional hockey club from 1974-77 before returning to the college ranks at Miami University. There, he helped build the Goggin Arena and hockey program from 1977-1985.

Vivian also spent 17 seasons in the NHL as a member of the New York Islanders staff. During his tenure, the club won four consecutive Stanley Cups, from 1980-83.

In 1989, he joined the University of Michigan as a professor of Kinesiology and founded the Sports Facilities Research Laboratory (SFRL), which has graduated over 280 facility managers. He operated the Wolverines’ Yost Arena as a training ground for facility managers and conducted research. Vivian became director of the Ice Arena Institute of Management (iAIM), where he developed and administers the only online certification program in the world for facility management, operations, and programming.

Vivian also owns JRV Management, employing over 300 people managing nine profitable arenas. As a specialist in ice facilities, he has shared his expertise with ten universities and seven public arenas. He is one of the most sought after consultants due to his trailblazer reputation and continued innovation in building and operating ice facilities. He is a frequent conference speaker, has numerous book chapters, over 100 articles, monographs, feasibility studies and a facility management book in progress and is publishing his renown operating policies and procedures manuals that has perfected over many years in the ice arena industry.

Dr. Vivian earned a BS from Adrian College in 1966 and his Masters the following year. He has a Ph. D. in Educational Administration with a cognate in Sport Management from BGSU.